Generally, certain structures and equipment that are isolated from the ground may be electrically grounded to prevent damage caused by, for example, electrical surges, electric faults, and static charge build-up. Typically, a ground wire may be coupled to the structure to ground the structure. For example, a ground wire may be secured to a pipe by a strap, clamp, or similar means. Straps, however, may not provide enough contact surface area to securely couple the grounding wire with the pipe. Moreover, inspections of the ground connection require that the straps be frequently disconnected and reconnected from the pipe, which may damage and weaken the strap. As a result, these damaged and weakened straps may fail when the pipe experiences electric surges.
Alternatively, the ground wire may be welded directly onto the pipe. Such a connection, however, may be cumbersome when testing the ground wire, as the ground wire must be regularly detached to verify the ground quality of the wire, and then rewelded. Furthermore, the weld may not provide enough surface area for connection due to the existence of air pockets within the weld. Welding may also be harmful to the pipe, as the wire may not be a suitable material to weld onto the pipe.
Accordingly, the grounding connector and related methods of the present disclosure are directed to improvements in the existing technology.